Who We Are
VYPER- Visionary Youth Peers for Equity and Revitalization is a youth-governed group for urbanized and non-urbanized indigenous youth in the provincial BC area. Based out of Matsqui / Abbotsford Impact Society, a diverse team of indigenous youth looks to foster the revitalization and adaptation of indigenous culture for all first peoples in the BC area. We have been operating since January 2022.
Our Mission
Our mission is to explore what versatile indigenous youth leadership and innovative cultural revitalization look like. We do this by inviting other youth from across the Nation to express what matters to them in their communities, using opportunity and unity as the interchangeable flow of our journey. We will invite inclusive forms of leadership from across the Nation to witness and empower all indigenous matters that arise from our project.
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where Indigenous youth feel connected to and empowered by their ancestral roots; where all Indigenous young people across Turtle Island are equipped to take action towards the resurgence and preservation of their Nations’ traditions.
Our Logo
The VYPER logo, a two-headed snake drawn by Helena May (VYPER Lead & Cultural Revitalization Coordinator), was chosen initially because it aligns with the acronym ‘VYPER’. The group has since developed additional meanings and interpretations of the logo as they have grown in their own understanding of what VYPER represents to them. Some interpretations include the two heads of the snake symbolizing the different paths that Indigenous youth may experience or explore in life such as reconnecting with culture or living as an urbanized young person. The different scales of a snake can symbolize the various roles VYPER plays in the community like the Rainbow Ribbon Project, harm reduction work, the weekly powwow & cultural night and language revitalization united in one body. It can also represent the concept of walking in two worlds or two-eyed seeing. The snake also connects to the Old Norse mythology of a snake circling, protecting, educating and giving its body to North America.